Cleaning device fob phonogeaph-eecoeds



D. F. HARBAUGH. CLEANING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHBECORDS. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 1. l9l6. 1,318,145, Patented Oct. 7,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I D. F. HARBAUGH. CLEANING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHRECORDS.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 1.1916. 1,318,145. Patented Oct. 7,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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DELL IE. HARBAUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLEANING DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPH-RECORDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dot. 7, 1919.

Application filed July 1, 1916. Serial No. 107,166.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DELL F. HARBAUGH, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident and has for it object theproduction of a device of this character which will be adapted toeffectually remove from a rec-0rd, during rendition of the same, alldirt, dust and other foreign matter which may be found upon the record.

A further object is the production of a cleaning device, as mentioned,which will be adapted to enter the sound grooves of the record as wellas to rest upon the outer surface of the latter in order to effectuallyrid the surfaces, of the record with which the needle contacts, in therendition of the record, of all foreign matter.

A still further object is the production of a cleaning device which willbe of simple and economical construction, and one which may be readilyand easily applied to a phonogra h.

Other ob ects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the combinationsand arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken on line w-w of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmental elevation of a phonograph equipped with acleaning device of slightly modified form,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a cleaning device shown in Fig. 4, and

Fig, 6 is a section taken on substantially line y-y of Fig. 4.

The form of construction illustrated in F igs.'1, I2 and 3, comprises acircular band or clamp 1 which is adapted for engagement with the hub 2of a conventional sound box 3 provided at the outer end of the tone arm4 of the ordinary reproducing machine or phonograph 5. The ends of band2 are secured together to effect clamping of the band upon the hub 2 bymeans of a screw 6 and cooperating not 6. Said member 1 serves as asupport for an engaging element which is connected with the lower endthereof for contact with the upper side of the record disk 7 which ismounted upon the turn table 8 of the phonograph.

Said engaging element comprises an elongated hollow body 9 which isadapted, when the device is in use, to contain a liquid lubricant, whichis adapted to escape from the interior of said body through openings 10provided in the under side thereof. Secured to the under side of member9 is a pad 11 of felt or other suitable material which is adapted tocontact with the upper side of the record disk, said pad,in theoperation of the device, being saturated with the oil escaping throughopenings 10 from the body or reservoir 9. Removable screw plugs 12 areprovided in the upper side of member 9 through which the lubricant maybe introduced.

Projectinglaterally from one side of the member 9 is a lug 13 which ispivotally connected at 14 with cars 15 formed at the lower extremity ofone of the ends of member 1.

The arrangement is such that the cleaning device will be arrangedimmediately behind,

the n edle or stylus of the sound box so as to engage with the recordjust before the same reaches said needle or stylus. This being the case,any dirt, dust, grit or other foreign matter contained upon the upperside of the record will be wiped therefrom and retained by the pad 11.The fibers of said pad will penetratethe sound grooves of the record andthus serve to effectually remove any foreign matter therefrom, theresult beingthat the entire upper surface of the record including thehollows as well as the crests of the grooves will be wiped clean of allforeign matter. The oil or lubricant with which the pad is saturatedserves to facilitate the collection and removal of the foreign matter,inasmuch as the dampness of the pad will result in any particles whichmay be brought in contact therewith, adhering thereto. The lubricantalso serves to soften any coating of foreign matter on the record so asto facilitate removal of the same, and at the same time lubricates thesurface of the record in order to alleviate friction between thesame-and the needle or stylus. The oil which it has been found is bestfor this purpose is co coanut or neats-foot oil, although any vegetableoil or animal fat may be used.

The cleaning device being connected with the sound box will movesimultaneously therewith across the face of the record disk during therendition of the same, traversing the entire grooved or operativesurface of the record in this movement as will be readily understood. Byengaging the holding member 1 with the hub of the sound box, properoperation and functioning of the latter is not in anyway interferedwith, such as would be the case were it necessary to remove any of thefastening screws or nuts of the sound box or to clampingly engagetherewith in such a manner as to interfere with the vibrations of thediaphragm thereof.

At the lower extremity of the end of member 1 with which the engagingmember is connected, is also provided a stop lip 16 which is adapted tolimit the amplitude of downward rocking of said engaging member when thesound box is rotated in order to carry the needle socket upwardly inchanging the needle. l/Vith this arrangement it will be seen that whenthe sound box is rotated as mentioned, and as shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, the record engaging member will be prevented from lagging behindand swinging to an inoperative position, the arrangement being such"with the construction adopted that the record engaging member willalways be held in a substantially horizontal position so that when thesound box is rocked to its initial or operative position, after theinsertion of a new needle, the engaging member will of itself assumeproper operative relation with the upper side of the record disk.Further it will be seen that the record engaging member remains incontact with the record disk by its own weight or by gravity, thecontact with the record being so light as to offer no appreciableresistance to the rotation of the record disk during operation of themachine.

In the form in Figs. 41-, 5 and 6 a post 17 is employed which is mountedat the upper side of the phonograph cabinet, adjacent the periphery ofthe turn table. Said post 17 is substantially inverted Ushape, beingprovided at its opposite sides with elongated slots 18. In this form therecord engaging member, shown at 19, has no connection with the soundbox of the machine, the same, instead, being pivotally connected bymeans of a screw 20 with the post 17. Said screw 20 passes looselythrough the slots 18, so as to permit of free vertical as well aspivotal movement of the engaging member 19. The free end of. saidengaging'member, in this form, is provided with .a channel for thereception of the engaging pad 21 as shown in the several views, saidpad, being adapted to engage by gravity with the upper side of therecord disk in the same manner as before described. In changing therecord upon the phonograph, the member 19 may be rocked upwardly to thedotted line position shown in Fig. 4 in which position the same will besupported by a stop 22 provided upon the post. The upper ends of theslots 18 are provided with off-sets or notches 23 adapted for engagementwith the pivot member 20 in order to releasably lock the same againstvertical movement when the engaging member is'in inoperative position.

In this form of the device the engaging member will simply float uponthe record disk, the same being of suflicient length to entirelytraverse the grooved portion at one side of the record. The pad may besaturated with oil manually, or if desired a reservoir for the lubricantmay be embodied directly in the engaging member as in the form beforedescribed. The results obtained with the two formsof the device will beprecisely the same namely, that of effectually cleaning and lubricatingany record disk which may be used in connection with a machine equippedwith the device.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred forms ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, these are capable ofvariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope 'of the appendedclaims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a supporting member comprising aninterrupted band adapted to clamp the tone arm of a sound-reproducingmechanism, one end of said band projecting downwardly, and a cleaningand lubricating element pivotally connected with said downwardlyprojecting end, and adapted to engage with a phonograph record used inconnection with said mechanism, the lower end of 'said downwardlyprojecting member being offset to form a stop, against which saidcleaning element is adapted to rest when lifted from said record,substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a supporting member comprising aninterrupted band adapted to clamp the tone arm of a sound-reproducingmechanism, one end of i said band projecting downwardly; a clean- Intestimony whereof I have signed my ing and lubricating element pivotallyconname to this specification in the presence of l nected with saiddownwardly projecting end two subscribing witnesses.

and adaptedto engagewith a phonograph record used in connection withsaid ,rnecha- DELL ARBAUGH' nism; and means on said downwardly pro-Witnesses: I jecting end forming a stop for said cleaning JOSHUA R. H.Pq'rrs,

element, substantially as described. HELEN F. LILLIs.

